Railway car



June 17 1924.

J. A. LAMoN-r RAILWAY GAR Filed July 1o 1922 s sheets-Sheet 1' im Nw J. A. LAMONT RAILWAY GAR June 17, i924,

Filed July 10 1922 3lsheets shle'et 2 Patented .lune 17, 1924.

Fries.

JOHN A. LAMONI', or CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, AssIGNon. 'ro AMERICAN STEEL FOUNDEIES, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, A ConronA'rIoN or NEW JERSEY.

, RAILWAY CAB.

Application filed J'uly 10, 1922. Serial No. 578,991.

To all whom it may concern.'

Be it known that I, JOHN A. LAMONT, a citizen of the United States, residin at Chicago, in the county of Cook and tate of ^Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Railway Cars, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to railway; cars and more particularly to a bolster shoc absorber arrangement. A p In cars of the type and capacity requiring sixl wheels the side roll or rocking of the car body on the trucks is unusually severe under load, due primarily to a relatively high center of gravity. This rocking reaches a maximum at a certain fixed speed and evidently is due to a synchronized condition between the wheels striking the rail joints and the natural oscillation of the springs under the heavy load. The blow or pounding action delivered on the side bearings by the rocking motion results in great damage to equipment generally and a marked tendency to take the load from the wheels on the opposite side of the truck to which the blow 1s concentrated. This tendency is unusually reat in cases where the side bearings are high relative to the center plate, andespecially so where such side bear-` ings are relatively a great distance outward.-` ly from the" center plates.

It has been standard practice on center bearing trucks to allow a limited clearance between -the car body side bearings and the truck bolster'sde bearings, either of the friction or roller type, in order. to insure a concentration of the load on the center plate,

thus providing for free swiveling of the truck on curves and also relieving the car body of some of the weaving or twisting due to minor imperfections of the road bed. The side bearing clearance referred to aggravates the tendency of the car body to rock. This rocking takes place between the center plates' but the pivot or fulcrur'n point of this rocking force is at the side bearings and consequently the latter are required to absorb the 'resultant shock.

Accordingly, one object of my present invention is to reduce the side rollin or rocking of railway cars, particularly eavy capacity cars using six wheel trucks, although the invention is applicable to lighter capacity cars using four wheel trucks.

Another object of the invention is to provide a novel bolster and side bearing arrangement adapted to reduce side rolling or rocking and further adapted to meet a of the requirements under service conditions.

These and other objects are accomplished by means of the arrangement shown on the accompanying sheets of drawings, in whichv Figure 1 is a fragmentary end elevation of a railway car show-ing parts-of the bolster mechanism in section and embodying my invention; A

Figure 2 is a fragmentary top plan view of the three-piece bolster arrangement embodying the invention;

Figure 3 is a sideelevation of the bolster,

parts being shown in section to show the l means for absorbing rocking actions; and

Figure 4 is a detail perspective view of a member secured to the longitudinal bolster members for assisting in retaining the shock absorbing means in position.

i The various novel features of the invention will be apparent from the following description and drawings, and will be particularly pointed out in the appended claims.

Referring to the figures of the drawings, it will be noted that I have illustrated the invention in connection with a railway car having a main body portion `10 in which material such as coal and the like, is carried, said body having side bearings 11 lwhich engage side bearings 12 secured to the car body 10 includes a center sill structure 15 to which is connected the upper center plate 14 which rests Aand pivots uponV the under center plate 14; carried by the main transverse bolster member 16 which, in this instance, is formed integrally with the longitudinal bolster members 13. The l longitudinal bolster members 13 at their ends are connected by cross pieces 17 which are integrally formed therewlth, such cross ltween the bearing portions ot the end pieces having lower convex rocker surfaces 18 which rest and are adapted to rock on the relatively dat surfaces 19 of the intermediate portions ot transversely extending bolster members 20 for equalizing purposes., rllhe bolster unit comprising the bolster members 16, 13 and 17 may be called the equalizing bolster member. 1t will be under-stood that the bearing portions 21 .of the cross bolster members 20 rest upon suitable bearing portions of the truck side frames, or associated parts not shown. 'lhese bolster bearing l portions 21 may be curved whereby same may have a relative rocking movement on the associated bearing members such as equalizing levers or side frames for permitting relative vertical angularity of movement 'such as occasioned in operating over vertical curves or curves resulting from -change in vertical inclination of the tracks.

With the truck standing on a level track the center plate load is carried by the double girder or center plate portion 14 to Ythe side girders 13 which, in turn, deliver their loads to the end girders 17,

Referring particularly to Figure 1 ot vthe drawings, it will be noted that the middle portions of the end girdersfl'l' bear upon the middle portion of the cross bolster members 20 and that the ends of the end girder members 17 have bearing portions 22 which are slightly spaced from bearing portions 23 on the cross bolster members 20 when the equalizing bolster member is in its normal middle position. lin this connection it will be appreciated that the vertical distanceb- I ers and the bearing'members 23 at thegelnds of the end girders is slightly greater than the downward set of intermediate portions of the cross bolster members. By providing the slight vertical bearing portions 22 and 23 of the end girder members 17 and cross bolster members 20, a clearance is obtained which insures a center bearing at all times and thus provides for an equal distribution of the loads to the ends ot the cross bolster members 20 when' a truck is riding practically level. Each ot the cross bolster members is provided with lside, stops 2t which limit relative lateral movement between the equalizing bolster unit and the cross bolster members 20.

The bolster construction described, in a large measure, overcomes the tendency of a car body to rock or roll due to unevenness ont the road bed,y in' that the limited clearance provided between the side bearings 22 and 23 large upward and downward movement of the opposite end ing without disturbing the equilibrium of the load on the center plate. For example, referring to Figure 2 ort the drawings, it

ably is located at the distance between the cross bolster members 20.

permits a proportionatelyy of the cross bolster bear-E neeaaeo pression in the track at that corner of the truck the equalizing bolster unit in eiect rolls away from the center toward the opposite end oit the cross bolster member until the side bearings'22 and 23 at that'end come in contact. lf at the same time the left hand end of the nearer cross bolster member 20 dips, the equalizing bolster unit in ed'ect rolls on said bolster member toward its opposite end untilthe opposite bearings are in engagement with each other. Under such conditions the diagonally arranged side bearings are in engagement with each other for stabilizing the load and limiting the rolling action to a .minimum amount. course, it will be understood that the equalizing bolster unit does not roll simultaneously in opposite directions on the cross bolster members 20, but it does so in a relaopposite ends of the 20 which rise or fall ster unit remains horizontal.

However, in the combination which is shown in the drawings, the side bearing members 22 and`23 normally do not pass into engagement with each other under rolling or rocking conditions, but, on the other hand, ll have provided means interposed between the equalizing bolster unit and the transverse bolster members 20 for absorbing the roc'lring or rolling action and more particularly for absorbing the pounding or shocks incident thereto, which is so pronounced in the ordinary side bearing structures in which the body side bearings have a clearance with respect to and engage side bearings on the bolsters. The shock absorbing medium preterfour cornersl of the equalizing bolster unit to act as a check on this rocking movement of the car .body on the truck which would naturally take place between the equalizing bolster unit and the The resistance et this shock absorber will be in direct proportion to the rocking movement between the equalizing bolster unit and the cross bolster members 20 and will act as an eective retarding or snubbing force.

As a shock absorbing means l choose to use a number'of thin: metal plates 25 piled one on top oi the other and working as a unit and so arranged that the bending and also frictional resistance will act as a'counter force to the rocking movement. 'lhese thin plates 25 preferably are of'steel and are mounted in pockets 26 formed at the tour corner-s of the equalizing bolster uni As shown particularly in lligures 3 and d of the drawings, a casting 27 is shown as in# serted in the upper portion of each of the pockets 26, said casting in each case havin@ a wall 28 for closing the opened side ot the ire llCl

pocket 26 and for holding the thin frictional metal plates 25 in position, it being understood that the casting 27 in each instance is secured in place by any suitable means, such as rivets 29. To assist in locating the casting the latter is provided with a projection 30 which extends `through a small opening in the upper outer portion of each pocket 26. It will be understood that the thin metal plates 25 are placed in the pockets 26 before the supporting castings 27 are set and secured in place, it being noted particularlyv in Figure 3 that each pile of platesI is supported on ledges 31 forming equalizing bolster unit. ,l

Particular attention is called to the fact that the under-surfaces 32 of the upper part of each casting 27 is concave for permitting the metal plates 25 to bow upwardly whenv the lower metal plate and side bearing 33' pass into engagement with each other, due 'v to a rolling or rocking action of the car. Preferably'the top of each convex bearing 33 will have the same radius of curvature as the concave surface 32.

It will be understood that when the metal plates 25 are bent upwardly there will be a frictional sliding action of one plate relativev to the other for absorbing the rolling or rocking action and any blow incident therej4A to, and that the absorption of such blow wil'l be gradual to soften the blow to the greater extent.

With this three-piece bolster construction I propose using thepside and center bearings l between the car body and equalizing bolster unit on the truck bolster for swivel action only, and as mentioned above, reduce the clearance between the side bearing members 11 and 12 to the least possible amount, in-V fact to a negligible amount, to 'insure concentration of the load on the center plates. In this way and also by reason of the threepiece bolster construction, the rocking force is lowered, and the resultant load from this `force is delivered nearer the center of the truck with the result that the consequent tendency of the wheel on the opposite side to lift is great-ly reduced.

The provision for rocking of the equalizing bolster unit on the cross holsters 20 at the center, by reason of the rounded bearing surfaces 18 on the eqnalizing bolster unit and the Hat surfaces 19 on the crossbolsters 20, also the clearance between the equalizing bolster unit and the transverse bolster members 20 prevents side rocking between the center plates 14 and relieves, in a measure,

the weaving of the car, the ends 21y of cross` parts of the- -ends of the cross bolster, that the vertical movementf the ends of the cross holsters 20 is proportionately greater than at the tions of the invention .falling within the spirit and scope of the following claims.

` I claim:

1. In a railway car, the combination of an equalizing bolster unit, a transverse bolster member upon which said bolster 'unit is rockably mounted, and shock absorbing means interposed between said eqnalizing bolster unit and said transverse bolster member for checking rocking movement of` the car body.

2. In a railway car, the combination of ai plurality of relatively movable bolster members, one being rockably mounted on the -other, and -shock absorbing means interposed between said bolster. members for checking rocking movement of the car body.

l3. In a railway car, the combination of a car vbody having side bearings, a bolster member having side bearings with substantially no clearance and cooperating with ,said body side bearings, another bolster member upon which the first bolster member is rockably mounted, and shock absorbing means interposed between said bolster mem- -bers for checking the rocking movement of saidcar body on the truck.

4. In a railway car, the combination of a car body having side bearings, a bolster member havin side bearings cooperating with the body slde bearings, there being substantially no clearance between said side bearings, said bolster member having a center plate upon which the car body is adapted to swivel andbeing located atA a point below said side bearings,v another bolster .member having side bearings cooperating with side bearings of the first bolster member, there being a clearance between said -bearing members on said bolster members, the cooperating bearing members on said bolster members being substantially in theV samehorizontal plane with said center plate for decreasing shocks occasioned by rocking of the car body, and shock absorbing means interposed between said bolster members for checking the rocking movement of said car body.

- 5. In avrailway car, the combination of a' soA car body having side bearings, a bolster member having side bearings cooperating withthe side bearings of said body and havingsubstantially no clearance therebetween,

g I Maase@ said bolster having a -center plate u on which said car body is adapted to swivel, and another bolster member having side bearings adapted to cooperate with side bearings ol the first mentioned bolster member and located inwardly with respect to the side bearings on the car body for reducing the rocking Lmovement of said car body.

6. lln a railway car, the combination of a car body having side bearings, a bolster member having side bearings cooperating with they side bearings oil said body and having substantially no clearance therebetween, said bolster having aV center plate -upon which said car body is adapted to swivel, another bolster member having side bearings adapted to cooperate with side bearings of the iirst mentioned bolster member and located inwardly with respect to the side bearings on the car bod for reducing the rocking movement of sai car body, and shock absorbing means inter osed between said bolster members for chec ing the rockin movement of said car body.

iln a railway car, a truck bolster including, in combination, twocross bolster members, an equalizing bolster member, irder members bearing normally on the-middle of said cross bolster membersand having a limited amount of rocking movement with res ect thereto to insure equalization of the loa to the ends of said cross bolster members, and shock absorbing means interposed between said equalizing bolster member and said cross bolster members for checking the rocking movement of the car body on the track,

8. ln a railway car truck, the combination of a bolster member having a pocket, spring metal plates arranged in a pile mounted in said pocket, and another bolster member having a bearing portionv which, under certain predetermined conditions causes a compression of said pile of plates for absorbing shocks and checking the rocking movement of a car body on the` car truck.

9. lln a railway car truck, a bolster member having a pocket, spring friction plates arranged in a pile within said pocket, and a pile retaining member having a concave face associated with said pile whereby upon a compression thereof the plates are caused to bulge and have rictional movement one with respect to the other for absorbing shocks igned at Chicago, Illinois, this 6th day oil July, 1922.,

- JUHN A, LAMNR 

